Writing pad or recording device



I 6- I 'l l' 6 Sept'. 8, 1931. J. a. cARRoLL 1,822,200

WRTING PAD OR RECORDING DEVICE Filed May 5. 1930 Zay-2 Patented Sept. 8, 1931 UNITED STATES JOHN B. CARROLL, OF OAK PARK, ILLINOIS WRITING PAD OR RECORDING DEVICE Application filed May 5, 1930. Serial No. 449,803.

This invention relates to writing pads or recording devices having a backing sheet and a flexible diaphanous sheet provided y with means for enabling lines of writing or 6 drawing to be produced or rendered visible upon or through the diaphanous sheet and to be obliterated.

The principal object of the invention is to provide an improved simple, economical and efficient Vwriting pad or recording device.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved writing pad or record ing device comprising a backing sheet or plate and a diaphanous sheet having a layer or coating of suitably colored adhesive or wax-like material therebetween and adapted to enable writing or drawing to be produced by means of pressure applied by a style or pencil, with improved means for obliterating the writing or impressions.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved writing pad or recording device comprising a backing sheet or base and a diaphanous sheet provided with suitable colored or wax-like material there between, and having a transparent covering sheet laid over the diaphanous flexible sheet,`

with improved means for holding the sheets in their proper relative positions both before and after writing or drawing or maku ing impressions upon the pad, and improved means for obliterating the writing, drawing or impressions, and means for preventing the accidental obliteration of the same.

Other and further objects of the invention will appear from the following descri tion and claims, `and from an inspection o the accompanying drawings which are made a part hereof.

The invention consists in the features,

combinations, details of construction and arrangement and mode of operation of the Y parts as herein described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a plan view of an improved writing pad or recording device'constructed in accordance with my invention; p

' Fig. 2 is a bottom view of the device 5- shown in Fig.A 1;

Fig. 3 is a View in side elevation of the device shown in Fig. 1, showing the same in position for use; f

Fig. 4 is a similar view in side elevation of the device shown in Fig. 3, with parts B5 broken away, showing the diaphanous sheet and top frame in raised position for freeing or separating the diaphanous sheet from adhesive engagement with the coated backing sheet or plate;

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view in elevation taken on linev 5-5 of Fig. 3, lookmgl in the direction indicated by the arrows; an

l Fig. 6 is a fragmentary View in vertical 65 section showing the relative positions of the superposed sheets, with the top transparent sheet shown in full lines in normal position and in broken lines in ilexed position.

In constructing an improved writing pad 'l0 or recording device in accordance with my invention, l provide a backing sheet or plate l which is formed, by preference, of thin sheet metal or other suitable stiff sheet material, and hinged or flexibly connected along its lower extremity or transverse margin 2 Y with a relatively rigid rectangular marginal frame portion or member 3 which is, by preference, formed in one integral piece with said base or backing sheet l.

llhe top surface of the sheet metal backing sheet l, thus iiexibly connected with Aor hinged to the bottom transverse margin 4 of the rectangular 'metallic frame 3, is painted black, and covered with a layeror coating 5 of diaphanous colorless or colored adhesive or wax-like material.

An inner diaphanous or transparent sheet 6 of iiexible material, such, for example, as thin tissue paper, is stretched Yabove the 9 painted or coated surface 'of the metallic sheet l, so that said stretched diaphanous or transparent flexible sheet covers the painted or wax-like adhesive layer or `coat- Iing 5 on the backing sheet l. The diaphanous sheet 6 is vthus adapted to be pressed into adhesive engagement with said coating or layer 5 by'means of a stylus o r pencil andto be freed from such adhesive contact in the operation of producing and obliterating the lines of writing or drawing or the like.

The fleXible diaphanous sheet 6 is, by preference, stretched upon a flanged and comparatively rigid rectangular frame 7, which is provided with a window 8 therein which is adapted to enable the diaphanous sheet to be pressed into adhesive engagement with the coated surface or layer of the backing sheet 1 by means of a stylus or pencil to produce impressions of lines of writing or drawing or memoranda which are visible on or through the diaphanous sheet when the sheets are in adhesive engagement and which impressions or memoranda may be obliterated by detaching the diaphanous sheet from adhesive engagement with the coated backing sheet.

A relatively hard outer transparent cover sheet 9 of Celluloid or similar flexible material having a hard smooth or polished outer surface is, by preference, stretched over said diaphanous sheet and over the outside of said rectangular metallic frame 7, which is mounted in fixed superposed relation to and covers the rectangular frame portion 3. The rectangular frame members 3 and 7 are rigidly secured together by means of depending marginal flanges 10 and 11 between which the outer folded margins 12 and 13 of said outer covering sheet 9 and flexible diaphanous sheet 6 are folded and firmly secured and held in position. (See Fig. 5.)

The rigidly connected flanged rectangular frame portions 3 and 7 thus form a rigid rectangular supporting frame 9 upon the outside of which is stretched the outer transparent celluloid sheet 9 and inner diaphanous tissue sheet 6, which are supported in a tightly stretched condition across the window 8 formed in the rectangular frame 7. And the coated backing sheet 1 is mounted directly back of said frame and window and adjacent to and in position to adhesively engage the depressed portions of the tissue sheet 6 as the latter is pressed against said coated backing sheet.

The coated backing sheet 1 which is fleX- ibly connected or hinged at its bottom margin to the adjacent margin 4 of the inner rectangular frame portion 3, as already de scribed, is, by prefer-ence, so connected at its opposite end margin with the adjacent margin of the top frame 9 formed by the rectangular frame members 8 and 7 that said top frame with the transparent outer sheet 9 and flexible diaphanous sheet 6 stretched thereon, is lifted or tilted upward to raised inclined position relatively to the coated backing sheet and lowered to the level of or in engagement with the latter without materially disturbing or altering the normal position of said flexibly connected coated backing sheet l. The rectangular frame .9',-comprisi1ig the connected marginal frame portions 3 and 7,-and the coated backing sheet 1 are, by preference, flexibly connected at their upper ends or end margins opposite the hinged margins .2 and 4, by means of a rocking hinge 111, which is, by preference, in the form of a transverse rock ing bar or rod, the opposite ends of which are bent to form integral curved supporting rockers 15, having upper angular end portions 16 which are rockingly or pivotally mounted in suitable openings in eye-members or hinge-members 17 fixed to the end margin 18 of the inner rectangular frame member 3 as best shown in Figs. 2 and 4. The straight horizontal transverse rod portion of the rocking hinge member 14e is in supporting rocking engagement with the bottom side of the coated backing sheet 1 along the upper end margin of the latter, and the upper angular end portions 16 of the curved rocker arms of said rocking hinge member la are pivotally connected with the adjacent upper end marginal portion 18 of the rigid rectangular frame 9 on which the transparent sheets 9 and 6 are stretched, in such a manner that downward pressure applied to the margin of the coated backing sheet 1 which is flexibly attached to the rocking hinge member 14, will rock said hinge member from the lowered position in which it is shown in Fig. 3 to the inclined raised position shown in Fig. 4t, thus causing the upper arms 19 of the curved rockers to move upward and raise the top rectangular frame 9 and the window with the said transparent sheets 9 and 6 to raised inclined position above and out of engagement with the coated top surface of said coated backing member 1. The removal of the downward pressure upon the coated backing member 1 and transverse rod portion of the rocking hinge member 14 will permit the top rectangular frame 9 and window with the transparent sheets 9 and 6 stretched thereon to return from raised inclined position shown in Fig. 4 to normal operative position as shown in Fig. 3. In said position the device is ready for use and the diaphanous sheet 6 is adapted to receive impressions applied to the outer top surface of the transparent Celluloid sheet 9 by a pencil or stylus for pressing the inner diaphanous tissue sheet into adhesive engagement with the coated surface or layer 5 of the coated backing sheet 1 to cause lines of writing or drawing to be impressed upon the diaphanous sheet in position to be visible through said window. To enable said lines of writing or drawing to be obliterated or rendered invisible it is only necessary to lift the diaphanous sheet to raised position out of adhesive engagement with the coating or adhesive material on said coated bacl ing sheet l, by tilting or raising the rectangular frame y9 and with it the diaphanous tissue. sheet to the position shown in Fig. 4, as abovedescribed.' y

A very simple and eiiicient means forenabling pressure to be conveniently applied to the top end margin of the coated backing sheet l, which is supported by the rocking hinge member 14, and for locking the coated backing sheet and top frame in operative position so as to prevent accidental obliteration of memoranda or Writing, comprises a rotative button or knob 20, having a bottom stem 21 which extends through a suitable opening in the coated backing sheet l and is held in place by a nut 22, on the threaded bottom end of said stem. A bottom button or latch 25 on the bottom end of the stem 22 of the button or knob 2() and thereby anchored tothe coated backing sheet l extends under and in supporting engagement with the transverse rod portion of the rocking hinge member 14 and serves to connect said hinge member with the coated backing sheet l. The upper main body portion of said button 20 extends through an elongated slot or opening 23 in the top frame and is adapted to rotate upon a vertical axis. The button or knob 2O is provided with transversely projecting side shoulders 24 which are adapted to permit relative upward and downward movements between said button and slotted frame portion when the button is turned on its vertical axis to the position shown in full lines in Fig. 3 in which position the shoulders 24 are adapted to pass freely through the elongated slot 28. By turning the lnob or button 2O on its vertical axis to the position shown in broken lines in Fig. 3 the side shoulders 24 will be caused to project over and engage the margins of the slotted frame portion 23 and thus serve to prevent said movements of the angular frame and transparent sheets relatively to the coated backing sheet l. s

The accidental obliteration of any memoranda or impressions made upon the tissue sheet is thus prevented.

Although the backing sheet l may be covered with a coating or layer of adhesive material of any desired color either With or Without first painting the backing sheet, I

prefer to paint said backing sheet black,

or any other desired color, and then coat the same with adhesive or Wax-like material such, for example, as parafin in a plastic condition, and, by preference, colorless or approximately colorless and transparent or diaphanous so as to render the colored backing sheet visible through said coating when the latter is compressed in adhesive engagement with the diaphanous sheet of tissue Y paper 6.

in, a suitably Vcolored back sheet mounted back of said Window opening and provided with a coating of adhesive material, a flexible diaphanous sheet mounted on said frame and extending across said Window opening and adapted to be pressed by a pointed nstrument into adhesive engagement With said coated back sheet, and means in supporting engagement With said back sheet and con-Y nected With said first-mentioned frame for moving said diaphanous sheet and its supporting frame to inclined position relatively to said coated back sheet for detaching said sheets from adhesive engagement With each other. Y 2. In a recording device, the combination of a frame having a Window opening therein, a suitably colored back sheet mounted back of said Window opening and provided With a coating of adhesive material, said back sheet being iiexibly connected with said first-mentioned frame a flexible diaphanous sheet mounted on said frame and extending across said WindoW. openingand adapted to be pressed by a pointed instrument into adhesive engagement With said coated back sheet, a flexible transparent sheet mounted in said irst-mentioned frame and adapted to extend over said diaphanous sheet and bet-Ween the same and the aforesaid pointed instrument for covering and shielding the diaphanous sheet means in supporting engagement With said first-mentioned 'trame and connected With said back sheet for, moving said diaphanous sheet and its supporting Jframe relatively to said coated back sheet for detaching said sheets from adhesive engagement With each other, and means for lowering said4 frame and diaphanous sheet to lowered operative position in engagement With said coated back sheet.

3. A recording device comprising in combination a trame, having a Window opening therein, a back sheet flexibly connected with said frame and provided with a coating of adhesive material, a iexible diaphanous sheet mounted on said frame and extending across said Window opening and adapted to be pressed by a pointed instrument into adhesive engagement With said adhesive coating on said back sheet,.a flexible transparent sheet mounted in said iirst-mentionedframe and adapted to extend over said diaphanous sheet and between the same and the aforesaid pointed instrument for covering and shielding the diaphanous sheet means for supporting said back sheet in operative po sition in engagement with said diaphanous sheet, and means connected With said lastmentioned supporting means and in supporting engagement With said first-mentioned frame for raising said frame and diaphanous sheet relatively to said coated back sheet for detaching the said sheets from adhesive engagement with each other.

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4. A recordingdevice comprising' in combination a frame having a Window opening therein, a back sheet flexibly connected with said frame and provided with a coating of adhesive material, a flexible diaphanous sheet mounted on said frame and extending across said Window opening and adapted to be pressed by a pointed instrument into adhesive engagement with said coated back sheet, a flexible transparent sheet mounted in said first-mentioned frame and adapted to extend over said diaphanous sheet and between the same and the aforesaid pointed instrument for covering and shielding the diaphanous sheet and a rocking member mounted in supporting engagement with said coated back sheet in supporting engagement with said first-mentioned frame on the under side of salne and flexibly connected with said frame for raising said frame and flexible diaphanous sheet out of engagement With said coated back sheet.

5. A recording device comprising in combination a frame having a Window opening therein, a back sheet flexibly connected with said frame and provided With a coating of adhesive material, a flexible diaphanous sheet mounted on said frame and extending across said Window opening and adapted to be pressed by a pointed instrument into adhesive engagement with said coated back sheet, a flexible transparent sheet mounted in said first-mentioned frame and adapted to extend over said diaphanous sheet and between the same and the aforesaid pointed instrument for covering and shielding the diaphanous sheet a rocking supporting member mounted in engagement With said back sheet and flexibly connected with and in supporting engagement with said first-mentioned frame for raising said frame and flexible diaphanons sheet out of engagement with said coated back sheet, and means for releasably securing' said frame and flexible diaphanous sheet in fixed operative position relatively to said coated back sheet.

6. A recording device comprising in combination a frame having a Window opening therein, a back sheet flexibly connected with said frame and provided with a coating of adhesive material, a flexible diaphanous sheet mounted on said frame and extending across said Window opening and adapted to be pressed into adhesive engagement With said coated back sheet, a rocking hinge member comprising a transverse rocking rod in yrocking engagement with said coated backing sheet and provided with curved rocker arms on the opposite ends of said rod and flexibly connected With said frame for raising and lowering said frame and said diaphanous sheet out of and into engagement with said coated backing sheet.

7. A recording device comprising in combination a frame having a Window opening therein, a back sheet flexibly connected with said frame and provided with a coating of adhesive material, a flexible diaphanous sheet mounted on said frame and extending across said Window opening and adapted to be pressed into adhesive engagement with said coated back sheet, a rocking hinge member comprising a transverse rocking rod in rocking engagement with said coated backing sheet and provided with curved rocker arms on the opposite ends of said rod and flexibly connected With'said frame for raising and lowering said frame and said diaphanous sheet out of and into engagement with said coated backing sheet, and means for locking said frame and said coated backing sheet in rigid relation to each other.

Signed at Chicago, in the county of Cool; and State of Illinois, this 25th day of April,

JOHN B. CARROLL. 

